Despite the health concerns over their use, there is no public guidance over whether we should avoid emulsifiers. One reason is because there are simply so many additives in our food and scientists don’t definitely know how many are toxic, or whether it’s the combination of them that’s harmful, Whelan says.
The emulsifiers we eat have all been approved by the food industry, explains Chassaing. “They are only tested for the toxicity effect or for the ability to induce DNA damage. And for those two aspects, they are perfectly fine. But they were never tested in the past for the direct effect on the microbiome,” he says.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states that: “In the European Union all food additives are identified by an E number, and their safety is evaluated before they can be permitted for use in food.” Similarly in the US the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that “a food additive must be authorised by the FDA before it can be used in food on the market”.
That said, there can definitively be cumulative effects adds Chassaing. How these chemicals and nutrients interact has been dubbed the “cocktail effect” – and because there are so many permutations, it’s difficult to isolate the effect of one additive from another. Emerging evidence on human cells in the lab suggests that the combined effects of several commonly consumed additives is linked to increased cell damage.
In addition, how food is processed could also matter for gut health, beyond nutrient content alone, a recent study has shown.
